free trade agreements play a crucial role in shaping the global economic landscape by promoting trade and investment between countries. these agreements lower or eliminate tariffs and trade barriers, facilitating easier access to markets and cementing economic ties. for participating nations, of ftas can lead to increased exports, greater.

competitiveness and enhance economic growth as businesses gain the opportunity to expand their reach and tap into new customer bases. further more, fda's can encourage foreign investment, drive innovation and create jobs contributing to overall economic stability and prosperity. as countries navigate complex global dynamics, the significance of free trade agreements becomes increasingly apparent, offering pathways to collaboration and shared growth. one compelling example of this is iran's recent free trade agreement with the members of the eurasian union which aims to strengthen economic relations and create new opportunities for trade advancement in the of region.

the eurasian economic union held its annual meeting on september 30th and october 1st in yeran armenia with a high-level delegation from iran representing both the public and private sectors. during the meeting iran's first vice president mohammad riza arif emphasized that iran is committed to expanding economic relations. at both bilateral and multilateral levels with the ea eu member states. the proposed free trade agreement between iran and the eurasian economic union has achieved the crucial milestone as it received unanimous approval from the economic commission of the iranian parliament. the agreement is now set to move to the plenary session for final ratification, marking a transformative moment in enhancing iran's economic integration with the region.

the eurasian market is vast, encompassing over 180 million people with significant import demands. through this agreement, iran can undoubtedly enhance its trade relations with these countries. the implementation of the eurasian free trade agreement marks a pivotal step for iran in facilitating trade in this part of the world. to kick off our exploration of free trade agreements, we spoke with professor mortaza.

have been established to minimize these restrictions in trade between countries. these organizations can play a facilitative role to a certain degree. alongside them, some countries form unions to facilitate trade, such as the european economic union or echo or eco with the aim of minimizing trade barriers. removing these restrictions leads in the long run. to increase productivity and improved living conditions for people, the more a country can establish free trade agreements with the world, the more economic benefits it can enjoy. this fta is particularly significant as it is the first multilateral agreement between iran and the eaeu, which comprises of russia, armenia, kirgisstan, belaruse and kazakistan. although iran has previously established 20 preferential and free trade.

agreements with various countries, the iran eae fta stands out for its collaborative scope and potential impact. the agreement was signed in december 2023 by the. agreement. this agreement was for a three-year period. it covered approximately 800 items of which about 500 were goods that iran could export to the union, while the remaining 300 items were those that the union could export to iran. once

ratified by the parliaments of all member states, enforcement the agreement will commence two months later. currently four of the eau countries that... and following a series of meetings between iran and the union, it was decided that this preferential trade agreement would be transferred into a free trade agreement. currently most the work on this agreement has been completed and the final stages are on the way. this landmark agreement culminated

after 60 rounds of negotiations over a 5ive year period. once implemented, it is expected that 87%. in the world and so are these countries, we are a major exporter of oil and gas, so are these countries? we are a main exporter of petrochemical products, so are these countries? in this regard, we are competitors, which can be a hindrance. however, some of these countries such as russia,

kazakhstan and uzbekistan are also major grain exporters in the world, which allows us to meet our needs in this area. additionally, kirgizstan and uzbekistan, for example, are major producers of meat and dairy products globally, from which we can benefit. figures from iran's customs administration show that exports to ea eu member countries saw 16% increase in the first five months of the current calendar year, that is from march 20th to august 20th. the volume of exports to these countries reach 2.2 million metric tons a 35% growth compared to the same period.

any free trade agreements with countries in the region, previous agreements were merely limited, customs discounts and nothing more. however, regarding the free trade agreement with the eurasian economic union, unfortunately things progressed well, and this is actually iran's first free trade agreement with other countries, unprecedented in the history of iran's economy. in 2019, when the initial... foundations of this agreements were laid in a form of customs discounts, we saw a significant economic boom in a country's imports and exports. the enhanced economic collaboration between iran and the eaeu provides an opportunity for

tehran to strengthen its non-oil exports and pursue economic diversification, thereby easing the repercussions of western sanctions. the free trade agreement between iran and the eurasian economic union is said to significantly enhance iran's non-oil exports, broad and market access and attract foreign investment. key areas expected to benefit from the agreement include agriculture, petrochemicals, machinery and textiles. experts say iran's strategic location serves as a gateway to west and south asia, offering eaeu members a vital carter for expanding trade. this is abbas argon of tehran chamber of commerce. اصلی کشور ما توسعه تعاملات بین المللی. one of the main priorities of our country is to develop economic interactions with neighboring countries. we

consider this necessary to facilitate trade, increase exports and develop economic relations with our neighbors, including the member countries of the euro-asian economic union. on the other hand, iran can serve as a bridge between this union in the north and the persian gulf countries in the south through the north south corridor. this is a win-win trade, this is a win-win situation. since the beginning. of a temporary trade agreement in 2019, trade between iran and the eaeu has steadily increased. in 2022, bilateral trade reached over $5 billion dollars, marking a remarkable 73% rise from the previous year. major exports from iran to eaeu countries include food products, construction materials and petrochemicals, while imports largely consist of machinery, steel and agricultural goods.

another important point is that the goods we export to the eurasian union. a higher added value compared to the goods we export to other parts of the world, for example, the goods we export to europe or china are mainly raw, petrochemical and oil products, but our exports to the eurasian economic union are very divers, ranging from food products to petrochemical polymer products, carpets and gas turbines. the iran eaeu free trade agreement is part of tehran. broughter strategy to strengthen regional partnerships in response to ongoing western economic sanctions. by deepening

ties with the eaeu, iran aims to diversify its trade roots and lessen its reliance on traditional markets. meanwhile, like iran, russia, a key player in the eaeu, views this fta as a strategic move to miticate western economic pressures and solidify relationships with allies in the region. what are the fortunately, very good agreements have been made in this regard. russian gas is set to enter iran via the caspian

sea, and iran can not only consume russian gas, but also re-export it to other countries in the region from iraq and turkey, to united arab emirates and other persian gulf countries. the syrian conflict has reached a critical turning point as parashadal assets regime collapses this. of resistance and the role of iran in stabilizing a fractured nation comes into sharper focus, from countering terrorist threats to leading reconciliation efforts, iran's pivotal role reshaped syria's future while guarding its sovereignty, but just hours after assad's downfall, israeli entity forces moved into syrian territory, sparking urgent questions about their true role in the conflict. was this invasion opportunistic or part of a brotal long hidden agenda? and what does it reveal about the future? of syria and the region at large, the syrian collapse this week on the mini stream. we have a lot more to

cover today, but first let's just take a moment to catch up on the latest headlines. hello everyone, welcome to the new section of this program. here we'll go over some important news headline. mh news, iran's trade with ea eu member states hits $5 billion after the implementation of free trade agreement fta inked between iran and member states of the union, the total of bons trade with five member states of the union reach from about two billion to $5 billion dollars advisor to the trade promotion organization of iran tpoi for international affairs mir haidari stated. it is hoped that the agreement could have an important effect, inspiring trade between the two sides, he emphasized on the sidelines of the supreme euro-asian economic council's meeting held on december 25th in st. petersburg,

a free trade agreement was signed between iran and eurasian economic union. member states. irna. armenian parliament approves free trade deal between iran and euroasian economic union. the agreement was ratified after 95 armenian lawmakers voted in favor of the agreement. it is based on a prevential trade agreement signed between iran and the eu in 2019, according to armenian economy minister givorg papian. the free trade deal between iran and the russia led eu will come into effect once the parliaments of all members. which also include kazakhstan, kirkizistan and belarus approved the agreement. top knock: iran's exports to eurosia double in four years. iran's exports to eurasian countries surged by 2.5 times since tehran inked a free trade agreement with the eurasian economic union (ea) in 2019. according to mohammad ali dehan dehnavi, head of iran's trade promotion organization,

tpo, the country's decision to sign the free trade with eurasia in 2009. has led to a significant reduction in tariffs. since then, trade with member countries of the eau has risen by 2.5 times. tehran times: iran's trade with eau grows by 11%. trade between iran and the eurasian economic union (ea) has increased by 11% in the first 9 month of 2024, compared to the same period last year, according to the union's press service. this growth comes as iran is said to be accepted as an observe. member of the eaeu at the unia's upcoming summit in december 2024. according to the statement, iran's exports to the ea eu member countries, armenia, belarus, kazakhstan, girgizistan and russia rose by 9% in the first three quarters of the year, particularly driven by vegetables, fruits and nuts, which showed an 11% increase compared to 2023. the eaeu has

also reported that the most significant portion of exports from its member states to iran consisted of agricultural products which had increased by more than 10% year-on-year. valdi club: the linkage between russia's meer and iran's shata payment systems. in the latest development, iran and russia have linked their national payment systems. the linkage between russia's mayor and iran's chetop payment systems was established near ceremony in tehran attended by governor of the central bank of iran mohammad riza farzin and iranian ambassador to moscow kazem jalali on november 11th 2024. the sir money unveiled the first phase of the project which enables iranian citizens to use their bank cards to withdraw cash in roops from russian atms. in the second phase, russian nationals will be able to withdraw cash in iran too. the final phase will allow iranians to make purchases at russian stores using point of sales devices with their bank cards. in this process, iranian banks including refa, saderat, pasargat s me, تجارt and tourism

are connected to russia's mirror system. bank صادرات. to iran and brasha's vtb bank act as agents and thank you for joining us in this section, please do stay tuned for the main narrative. becoming a member of the eurasian union offers iran a wealth of business opportunities and acts as a strategic measure to diminish the effects of western sanctions. however, it might also bring significant challenges for domestic production. can tehran handle it? mr.

this trend will be repeated with other countries and in other regions through other free trade agreements leading to an improvement in the country's economy. iran faces significant challenges due to international sanctions, particularly in its ability to use the dollar and integrate with global financial systems. in response, the country has formed bilateral and multilateral currency agreements with various eurasian countries. these agreements allow financial transactions to occur in the national currencies of the participating nations, such as trading iran's real for russia's ruble or kazakistan's tenge. this strategy.

and most important member of the union, steps have been taken in this area to improve money transfers, which is promising. additionally, efforts have been made between iran and russia to reduce reliance on the dollar, known as the dedollarization, and both countries are expected to eventually conduct transactions using their national currencies. additionally, iran has focused on enhancing its transportation and logistics. infrastructure to alleviate the impact of sanctions. the development of transit routes and transportation corridors, notably the north south corridor has improved trade connectivity

between iran and eurasian countries helping to lower logistics. in general, when governmentts agree on free trade, they eliminate customs barriers, which are actually created by the governments themselves. however, barriers are not limited. to customs restrictions, for example, two parties may remove customs barriers, but there may be no transit connections between them, or there may not be strong political ties between them, or there may not have been a strong history of trade relations between them. each of these factors can slow down the trade process and it is necessary to focus on these things as well. however, the introduction of 0% tariffs on imported goods could potentially. create competitive pressures for iranian agriculture and industrial sectors where domestic producers might not be fully prepared for open trade with foreign markets. while the

free trade agreements contain provisions to support local production during emergencies, it is important to know that these measures will only activate under specific crisis conditions. in your opinion, how could iran benefit from signing a free trade pact with the eurasian countries? and it is not the case that this happens overnight, free trade is intended to ultimately benefit the economies of the countries involved, and if it harms their economies, it would actually

defeat its purpose. to fully reap the benefits of this membership, iran needs to implement structural reforms, bolster support for domestic industries and enhance production infrastructure. by addressing these areas, iran can overcome the challenges posed by increased competition and corn and similar items. therefore, i believe that importing these products will not negatively impact our farmers, as it will not create competition. however, aside from

agriculture, for instance, in certain industries, we should not forget that it is through competition that our industries will grow and reach world standards. thus we should consider this opportunity valuable both for securing the necessary products for the country at reasonable prices and for fostering competition in our national industries. leading to the production of higher quality and cheaper products. given the increasing trade volume between iran and the eurasian countries along with the expansion of trade agreements, the future of these collaborations appears very promising. in the upcoming years, iran has the potential to become a key trade hub in the eurasian region and beyond, by inking new trade agreements, joining additional economic organizations and enhancing transportation connection.

to be positive as with proper planning we can improve the country's exports, we need to produce higher quality goods and create products that meet the needs of the eurasian market. another important point is that we must diversify our export goods as well as the markets to which we export. the euroasian market is a very good starting point, but it is not enough. we have about 15 neighbors that together make up nearly 400 million people utilizing various opportunities should be our economic priority. asia is one of these opportunities. finally, it's not just about trade. free trade zones, integrated financial systems and joint membership in international organizations can play crucial roles in solidifying stable political ties. the relationship between iran and the eaeu represents a bold experiment in this regard. should it prove successful? tehran aims to replicate this model with other nation.

region will certainly help enhance stability in the area. the more intertwine the interests of the countries are, the more they will assist each other in maintaining security. countries tend to safeguard their investments whatever they invest. in other words, attracting foreign investments can be a step towards strengthening the security of the country. the more investors from different countries there are, the more we can feel secure about our country's safety. that is all for today, thank you.

thank you for watching from the whole team, please do join us again same times next week to see what else is on, until next time, take care, deadlines on press tv, the leader of iran's islam revolution ali khamenei says what happened in syria is a result of a joint plot by the us and the israeli regime. russia condemns israeli air strikes on syria calling them a marter of serious concern.